Dreams and Nightmares

by Shirley A. Roe

  Jebediah had only demanded his husbandly rights a few times but he was always callous and cruel. Martha was a virgin the first time he took her on the ship and never dreamed that the physical act of coupling could be so violent and painful. Each time was the same and she dreaded it with every fiber of her being. She remembered, as a young girl, how she had envisioned her wedding night married to a handsome, attractive man. She dreamt of his loving embrace and how wonderful it would be to be united in love. But reality was a cruel taskmaster and her life and her marriage were anything but wonderful and loving. Jebediah's sickening smell lingered on her bed covers and she could still feel his calloused rough hands on her body. Resigned, sore and soiled, she rolled over and fell asleep.

  Outside the coyotes howled and the wind continued to blow. The monotony of life wore away at her spirit. She would do the chores, tend to the boys, and stay out of Jebediah's way. When the weather was damp, her wrist ached sending pain down through her fingers and up her arm. Once a vibrant, beautiful young woman, Martha no longer resembled the carefree girl from Graystone Manor. Her thick chestnut hair was now tied tightly in a bun on the back of her head. She lost weight and her girlish curves were replaced by long lean muscle. Drab, patched cotton dresses made up her wardrobe; making her look and feel she had aged ten years. The Mueller's store was up and operating, with Martha's pies on sale. Apparently they were very popular with the soldiers from the fort and brought increased sales. Naturally, she didn't see any compensation for her work. Jebediah arranged for Mrs. Mueller to apply the money against their store account. Only her time with Ezekiel and Abraham gave her a small amount of joy as she taught them to read and write. Isaac was taught by his father and stayed clear of Martha, as much as possible.

  In private moments, Martha continued her letter to Austin. She wrote:

  My mental state could only be described as dark and depressed. All the love, laughter and joy have been replaced by endless toil, sadness and defeat. I'm mortified to say that I sometimes wish Jebediah were dead. The situation is hopeless and my life has become a nightmare. I feel my own heart filling with evil thoughts and I'm ashamed. Only the young boys keep me going. I realize that they need me for protection from their own father and I must be strong for them. My feelings for Abraham and Ezekiel can only be described as love. They make me laugh and give me purpose. Isaac terrifies me and I find him staring at me from the other side of the room. He has such a vacant evil look in his eyes and I'm worried that he will act upon it. Jebediah is cruel and heartless. Austin, oh my dearest friend, how did I come to this?

  While her days were full of trepidation, Martha's nights were full of dreams of England, beautiful gowns and Austin. One night she dreamt that she was sewing beautiful ball gowns for designer Charles Worth in Paris. Colorful, silken gowns hung all around her like a giant rainbow. Women filed by smiling and nodding their approval. She herself was dressed in one of the glorious gowns and a brilliant smile lit up her face. Martha's dreams were her only escape.

  Chapter Nine- Delayed in St. Louis

  Austin and Jeremy waited weeks for Arthur Langley, the wagon master to return to St. Louis. St. Louis was a booming city with factories and foundry industries producing tons of pig iron. Many of the grand homes were elaborately appointed with wrought iron decoration. Steamboats, sometimes, anchored three deep for more than a mile in the Mississippi, carried supplies of iron and were the major form of transportation. St. Louis was one of the busiest ports in the Americas.

  Although St. Louis provided the two young men with comfortable lodgings and the amenities of a large city, they were anxious to meet with Arthur Langley to discover Jebediah's final destination. When he finally did return, Arthur was hesitant to give them any information until he learned that Jeremy was Jebediah's brother. Naturally, he assumed that Jeremy was searching for his brother for family reasons and was happy to give the two young men as much information as he could.

  “I left the Whittakers at Fort Laramie in the Wyoming Territory several months ago. I was most impressed with Jebediah and I wish you luck with the search.” Jeremy inquired as to the welfare of his nephews and was happy to hear that they were well. Langley mentioned the snakebite incident but was quick to assure them that Mrs. Whittaker had nursed the boy back to health. Austin could not resist asking about Martha and Langley acknowledged that she had been well when he last saw her. Austin picked up on Langley's obvious dislike of Martha and decided it best to leave it at that. Something was definitely going on with the Whittakers. Martha was outgoing and friendly and Austin could not understand why anyone would have a bad impression of her. Of course, with everything he knew about Jebediah, he could never imagine anyone being fond of him. Even the seaman from the Salvation had referred to Jebediah as ‘a mean son of a bitch.’ Perhaps he had underestimated Jebediah's powers of persuasion. All he could think of was that Martha was somewhere in the west and living with this monster. He must find her before anything happened to her. Although he was a gentle man, Austin knew he would kill Jebediah Whittaker if Martha had been harmed. Austin was uncomfortable with this malevolence for the brother of his dear friend, but in his heart, hate was growing for Jebediah.

  Unfortunately, now the winter weather had taken a turn for the worst and travel was difficult if not impossible. Jeremy spent his time making business contacts and arranging for shipments to and from India. The Hudson's Bay Company was the largest company in the Americas and Jeremy was pleased to be associated with them. Beaver fur top hats were the fashion craze in London. Fur trappers were abundant in the west, fortunately demand for pelts was high. The pelts and skins available for export were of the highest quality. Jeremy, pleased he had decided to travel to the Americas, was excited with his new business prospects. He visited the telegraph office. A telegraph was sent to London and John McGuire was advised of their current situation. Nothing they could do but wait until the weather improved.

  Austin's journal entries for St. Louis:

  We traveled by stagecoach to Portson as the water was too low to allow boats passage. There we boarded the “Olympic Bell” steamboat and traveled to St. Louis, after learning of Martha's departure with a Wagon master from that city.

  Unfortunately, winter is close and navigation is near closed on the upper river. We have taken quarters in the St. Louis City Hotel and here we'll await a break in the weather. I'm learning a great deal about the export and import business and I hope that I'm a help to Jeremy. He has become like a brother to me and we rely on each other for support and companionship. This trip will prove difficult and I pray for Martha's safety.

  Austin was becoming more relaxed with the colonies and actually enjoyed the camaraderie of the locals. Many of them were German and Irish immigrants that settled in St. Louis. He enjoyed the conversations, learning a great deal about the west. One night in the saloon, Austin learned that an Irish immigrant named Joseph Murphy built a wagon, now called a Murphy wagon, which could hold 5000 pounds of freight and was used on the Santa Fe and Oregon Trail. Murphy was also the builder of the “Prairie Schooners”, the covered wagons that took the homesteaders west. Fur traders had opened the west over the past fifty years, and it was now ready for the homesteaders. Apparently land was offered for next to nothing in the western territories and Austin surmised that this had been the enticement for the materialistic Jebediah.

  On several occasions, Austin, who had been studying business and law when he met Jeremy, assisted with a sale or two and was learning more and more of the import and export business. The Hudson's Bay Company intrigued him. The export of furs, whale oil, wood and ore was big business. The work provided a needed distraction.

  Austin, who had never witnessed snow of such depths or freezing cold that chilled to the bone, was anxious to leave. He wanted to find Martha but as he watched the snow growing deeper and deeper, realized that it was impossible, until the weather changed.

  Austin and Jeremy now dressed in denim, buckskin and Stetsons and more than on
e lady had her eye on these handsome young men. Never lacking for dance partners or dinner invitations, the two were very popular with the female population of St. Louis. Even Arthur Langley's seventeen-year-old daughter Loretta, thought Austin to be the most attractive man she had ever seen. Tall, handsome and a real gentleman, he was a definite contrast to the brash and bawdry cowboys or the crass and dirty ironworkers of St. Louis. The sassy Loretta went out of her way to be in the same place as Austin whenever she could.

  One afternoon, the two young men sat in the hotel lobby enjoying a brandy. Jeremy took his gold watch from his pocket checking the time. The broken face was a constant reminder of the possible dangers this new land held. “Still early yet Wells, I believe your new friend is coming this way,” teased Jeremy The young men watched the curvaceous, golden haired young woman approach and even Jeremy thought that she was most attractive in a down home sort of way. Innocent of face and with a body that any man would love to get his hands on, Loretta Langley was definitely a good catch. The only problem, Jeremy could see, was that it was Loretta that was doing the hunting and Austin had become the quarry. Still unsure of the relationship between Austin and Martha, he wondered just what Miss Martha McGuire would think about this turn of events, even if she was a married woman?

  “Why, Austin, Jeremy what a nice surprise. I was just dropping off some papers for Daddy and here you are.” Loretta, coquettishly arranging her long crinolined dress as she sat, immediately took her place next to Austin on the Gold settee. Although Loretta's mother always dressed her in the most up to date fashions, styles in the Americas lagged behind Britain and France by about two years. Miss Langley's dress and fur- trimmed overcoat however, were definitely stylish and very flattering.

  “Nice to see you Loretta. Jeremy and I were just catching up on some news while we wait for dinner. Would you care to join us?” Austin was not unaware of Loretta's interest, besides he enjoyed her company and any diversion was a good one in this frozen environment. In any man's opinion, she was an extremely attractive young woman. The three enjoyed several evenings together over the course of the next few months. Austin found Loretta to be sparkling and bright and looked forward to seeing her whenever he could. She was like a twinkling star in a dark night sky. Even Jeremy was becoming smitten by the innocent charms of Miss Langley. As the frost remained on the windowpanes and the snow continued to fall on St. Louis, the dull days were brighter because of the sunny Loretta Langley.

  In England, the telegram arrived and Phoebe and John were relieved to know that at least there was some progress in the search. John's health had greatly improved and although he was constantly worried about his daughter; he returned to his construction business and dealings with his land partners. The land on which the mine was located was sold and the coal mine was operational. The small miners’ cottages that had been built by John's construction firm were now occupied. The developers were feeling much better about the entire land transfer. All of them were experiencing some guilt and embarrassment at having allowed Jebediah to cheat them but they all realized that it was their own greed that was the real culprit. In future, these men would be more careful and less self-serving. All had learned a good lesson, but John McGuire suffered the most.

  John spent many hours sitting in Martha's bedchamber longing for their old life together. If only Lillian had lived. Phoebe's presence in the house had only reminded him of how much he still loved and missed his wife. Now with Martha gone the house was very lonely indeed. Even Lillian's portrait was gone from the wall; it was as if Lillian's spirit had left with Martha and neither of them was ever coming back. Tears flowed down his cheeks onto the burgundy velvet and his heart ached for his lost family. Those two young men were his only hope in recovering his daughter but his worst fear was that she would refuse to come home to him. He had made a terrible mistake and had allowed greed to cloud his judgment. He prayed that Martha would forgive him and be returned safely to his side, even though he would never forgive himself.

  Phoebe remained with John until his recovery and then returned to her home in London. Emma could take care of Graystone and Phoebe missed the London social lifestyle that she was used to. It was good to be home. She wrote a letter to Minnie Wells to reassure her of her son's welfare and the current situation with the search. Phoebe was not the most patient woman, but in this instance there was nothing to do but wait. She prayed they would find Martha before something dreadful happened to her.

  Max Smithson left Northumberland and moved to London. He and Phoebe became acquainted at the McGuire's and frequently dined together at Graystone. During one of their dinner parties, John and Max discussed the fact that married women could not be landowners and any land inherited by a woman immediately became the property of her husband. Therefore if anything were to happen to John, it would be Jebediah and not Martha that would be heir to Graystone. This bothered John immensely and gave more reason for him to pray for Martha's safe return and an immediate annulment of this marriage.

  Phoebe was very distraught over this whole business and was glad that Max Smithson had become a friend to her and John. One night she and the distinguished, gray haired, Max dined alone. Max told her of a long forgotten conversation he had with Jonas Whittaker. Over his second glass of French champagne, Max told Phoebe, “Jonas was depressed after having to commit his wife to the asylum. He loved his wife dearly and had coped with her illness for years but finally, there was no choice. She didn't recognize Jonas or her sons and was becoming a threat to herself and possibly to others. Jeremy agreed with his father's decision but Jebediah fought to keep his mother home. Apparently Jebediah went to the asylum on several occasions to see her and always returned claiming that she was cured. It was a difficult time for all of the Whittakers.”

  “My God Max, you don't mean he put that poor woman in a workhouse?” Phoebe was aghast. Workhouses were horrible places occupied by lunatic paupers and criminals.

  “Phoebe let me explain about lunatic asylums. Workhouses are exclusively for paupers. Licenses Houses do take both paupers and non- paupers and hospitals receive few poor lunatics. There are single houses that are exclusively for the rich. The process of making someone a Chancery lunatic is very expensive. It offers confinement for a considerable sum but allows a certain element of privacy and usually a patient is given his or her own room. Where as the workhouses and madhouses simply house the lunatics together, the criminally violent are chained and the others simply put together in large rooms. Conditions are deplorable at best and there is really no regulation. Commissioners could visit a single lunatic confined for profit, by obtaining the authority of the Lord Chancellor or Home Secretary but it is seldom done. Jonas tried to find a Single House that would care for his wife in the best possible way.” Max gave Phoebe a reassuring pat on the shoulder and apologizing for being a bit long winded on certain topics, continued.

  “Now back to my original thought of the conversation between myself and Jonas. It was the night of Jebediah and Alicia's wedding and Jonas told me of his concerns regarding Jebediah's motive for marrying the girl. Apparently Jebediah showed no interest in her at all until he heard that Alicia's father, Ezekiel Barstow was ill. Barstow owned the mill in Northumberland where Jebediah was employed. Shortly after learning of Barstow's illness, Jebediah proposed to Alicia. Jonas told me that he was concerned that Jebediah was marrying her under false pretenses.” Max continued filling in the gaps for Phoebe.

  Three years and two sons later, Jebediah became the owner of Barstow Mills and the Barstow family home, upon Ezekiel Barstow's death. Shortly after the birth of her third son, Alicia Barstow Whittaker mysteriously fell to her death. Jebediah disposed of the mill and the Barstow family home, saying that he was too distraught at the loss of his wife and moved back to Pheasant Run. Max offered to set up trust funds for the boys with the money from the sale, but Jebediah said he would take care of it when the mourning period was over. Max now realized the trusts had never been set up and the en
tire inheritance had gone to Jebediah. This new information made Phoebe worry even more about Martha's safety. Was it possible that Jebediah Whittaker killed his own wife? Was he a lunatic like his mother? Phoebe could not allow herself to think of the possibilities. She just prayed harder for Austin and Jeremy to find her niece.

  Max was enjoying his new office in London. He stood looking out the window at Piccadilly Square. London was where the action was and a successful lawyer could make a lot of money in this busy metropolis. Thinking back to a few months before he still could not believe how his life had changed. Fortunately the Whittaker business had not destroyed his reputation, however Max felt that it was best to leave Northumberland and start fresh in London. When he had unexpectedly been offered a partnership in a very prestigious London firm, he accepted immediately. The firm even helped with his relocation to a lovely new home in the upscale side of London. The idea of being closer to the alluring Phoebe had been a definite influence on his decision. He pictured her pale smooth complexion and her lovely chestnut hair with hardly a sign of gray. For a fifty- year-old widow, Phoebe Hunter was most attractive. It was a definite plus that she enjoyed his company. Something good had definitely come out of a bad situation. What a brilliant stroke of luck this London partnership had been for him.

  Phoebe, who was very influential in London society, was very fond of Max Smithson. Unbeknownst to him, she had made a few inquiries with a law firm with whom she was a long-standing client. With Phoebe's prodding, they arranged for Max's partnership offer with an associate firm in London. The firm had even found a most suitable Tudor style home for Max to live in on the upper east side of London, at Phoebe's request. It had all worked out wonderfully and now Phoebe and the successful barrister enjoyed each other's company on a regular basis. Operas, Gala balls, dinner parties, and charitable events were the entertainment of London society and one definitely wanted a suitable, distinguished escort. She and Max appeared on the social pages often. The two were making quite a hit with London society. Yes, what Phoebe Hunter wanted, Phoebe Hunter usually got.